Boy's/Children's Day 2012

Little Brother's koinobori hasn't been out of its box in years. We don't have a proper pole anymore to hang it. Besides, Baba insists it is for very young boys. Little Brother is now 16!

I hung it anyway. Near the laundry. Talk about nontraditional!

It couldn't be seen from the road.

But someone noticed.

She waited for me to leave,

but, in the end, she didn't bother it. This dog always keeps her in line.

Click on the labels below for more information about Boy's/Children's Day. And here for more about Boy's Day decorations. (We call it Boy's Day at our house because we have a boy and a girl. Girl's Day is in March.)

Boy's/Chidren's Day 2012-- Grocery Store Options

 snack display (some of this is on the bottom shelf)

 kashiwa mochi  (old post)

shobu (old post)

Click on the labels below for more information about Boy's/Children's Day.

Neighbor's Roof

I took this picture of our neighbor's roof from our kitchen window yesterday. It was raining and we couldn't go out to see koinobori.

This isn't a traditional tile roof. These tiles or shingles are made of metal. The aluminum crescents near the edge are to hold snow. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

I zoomed in and saw for the first time that the snow guards have tulips on them.

Click on this link and the labels below for more information:

Kids Web Japan--koinobori

Boy's Day 2009

Baba and Aunt brought sekihan, mochi and shobu upstairs today. Check old posts about our Boy's Day celebrations by clicking on the labels below. There is also more information at Kids Web Japan.

Kids Web Japan --Boy's Day/Children's Day
Kids Web Japan--Golden Week

Spring Wind

No koinobori flying in our neighborhood yet. Only laundry and curtains.

This is the laundry room at a hospital. (They don't hang their laundry out to dry.)

Click on the labels below for more about koinobori.

Check this story at Kids Web Japan--Carp Streamers

Giant Koinobori at Showa Kinen Koen

This is a huge koinobori. This picture was taken at the top of the hill. The koinobori is down in a ravine. With the children standing in front, you can tell how big it really is. Click on the label below to see last year's pictures.

The koinobori from last year was moved and draped among the trees like a tent. Kids were running through it.

A Huge Carp and A Koinobori

This koi or carp was in a "valley" at Showa Kinen Koen, Showa Memorial Park. It was huge. Click to enlarge and you may be able to see people on the right. That will provide perspective to know how big it really is.

It was far away and we were all looking down on it, so it looks smaller in the pictures. Here is a mother and son looking at it.

TOYS "R" US sells traditional Japanese holiday decorations like this koinobori. These koi or carp will be strung together and hung outside. Maybe you can figure out how much it costs in your country's currency.

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

A Boy's Day Custom

Today is Boy's Day. It is kodomo-no-hi which means "children's day". Our family translates it as Boy's Day because we have a boy in our family. Girl's Day is in March. Here's another picture of a koinobori.

Tonight, some children will wear shobu wrapped around their heads in the bath. Shobu are the long leaves pictured here next to the dollar bill. Wearing it in the bath on this day is an old custom. What does it mean? It started as a way of protecting children from evil spirits and disease. It is also said to keep poisonous bugs and snakes away. The smell is said to have a calming effect. What does it smell like? To me, it smells like a buttery cake. Big Sister and Little Brother don't agree, but we all agree that it's a nice smell. I'm sure there are many children and adults who are not aware of the meaning of wearing it. In fact, Papa had to look it up on the internet to be sure. To him, it's always been something fun to do. That's the way it is with a lot of customs, isn't it?

Kids Web Japan-- Children's Day

Golden Week

Today is the first day off from school for Golden Week (in our neighborhood). There are several holidays in a row. April 29th was the birthday of the previous emperor. It is a holiday. This year it was on a Saturday and many children now have Saturdays off anyway. Then there is Constitution Day on May 3rd, a national holiday on the 4th, and Boy's Day or Children's Day on the 5th. Today was sunny so there were many koinobori flying in the breeze. It is a string of fish called koi. This decoration is for Boy's Day and is put up as early as the end of April. I took this picture near a parking lot for a garden center. the garden center had its own koinobori!